The BNP has extended its support for the half-day hartal called for today by left-leaning parties protesting a rise in power tariff from December.

“We consider this shutdown to be rational for the sake of the people. The BNP fully supports tomorrow's hartal by left parties,” party's senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said yesterday.

The announcement of the hartal came hours after the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on November 23 announced an average increase in power tariff by 5.3 percent or Tk 0.35 per unit to come into effect from December.

Soon after the announcement, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) and other left-leaning political parties called for a half-day hartal in protest of the decision.

The six-hour-long strike will start at 6:00am today and continue till 12:00noon, according to the press release.

Later, Bikolpodhara Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and Nagorik Oikko supported and joined the left-leaning political parties' call for a countrywide half-day hartal.

They said the decision for a hike in rates illogical and demanded that it be reduced.